It was another bright and chilly day as three of the team went to Sherwood Pines to ride a flattish course with much tight, twisty singletrack through the trees. But, as they showed at Cannock the previous week, the team are all pretty good on twisty trails. And Daphne’s story goes to show that even the best laid racing plans gang aft agley. Still, that’s all part of racing: it’s not all about how good you are at your best, but how you cope when things don’t go right.
Evie
"It was an early start for a long drive to Sherwood Pines for the Hope Crank it Round 1 race. I spent the first half an hour watching my sister take part in the under 12s skills session before I went on my practice lap. The course was mainly flat with much singletrack that weaved through the trees.
There was lots of opportunity for sprinting on the fire roads which were dry and fast rolling, but much of the singletrack through the trees was muddy.
I felt strong on the flats and kept my power up and had a steady smooth pace through the trees.
However, I felt like I could have picked smoother lines through the singletrack and muddy sections. On my last lap, I managed to lose my shoe by catching my BOA dial on the root of the A line and I had to quickly slip it back on for the sprint to the line! Overall, I felt strong throughout the race and felt I could have ridden a longer race."
Evie came 4th even with her shoe issues and celebrated with a bowl of pesto pasta, her new favourite food.
Becca
"Happy with 3rd today at a cold but sunny Sherwood Pines. Had my noodles and toast before course practice so was ready to go. The course was flat, lots of singletrack & a couple of A lines. Happy with my race, had 3 consistent laps and a good start so can’t complain."
It was great being out in RR23 colours, can’t wait for the Nationals to show everyone our new kit.
Becca came 3rd fuelled by toast and hoisin and chicken noodles. Not together.
Daphne
"It was an interesting day’s racing at round 1 of Crank It, to say the least. An allergic reaction to new washing powder led to a frantic search to find a pharmacy and ani-histamines, plus having to race in normal shorts and shirt rather than race kit. At this stage I was just happy to get the start line.
I took the first lap pretty steadily as I hadn’t been able to warm up and didn’t want risk injury. Over the next couple of laps I started work my way through the field picking off the riders in front to finish 6th, and I’m happy with the result all things considered.
It was super fun course and flowed really well. And it has given me a story to tell as well.
I felt strong on the bike and looking forward to the bigger races that are coming up in early April."
Daphne came an incredible 6th after a traumatic morning, has fully appreciated why we have padded shorts, and her dad is being given intensive shopping training.
So, another really solid weekend for the team, some fuelling strategies tried and tested, and some kit issues nailed as well. Some days go smoothly, some days don’t. Part of development is all about working out your own strategies, and the girls are well on their way to doing this.